BusinessLive reports that ahead of the jobs summit promised by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has decided to convene a similar forum, bringing together 75 civil society organisations.  

Saftu maintains that the "working class summit", scheduled for this weekend in Johannesburg, is not meant to upstage the president’s planned initiative, but will complement it.  The federation said the summit would explore workplace and community issues in an attempt to propose solutions to SA’s unemployment, inequality and poverty problems.  Saftu was also planning to discuss trade union rights and the state of organised workers.  While it has invited other trade union federations to attend, none have responded.  In his state of the nation address in February, Ramaphosa undertook to convene a jobs summit following calls by trade unions for the government to create a platform where plans to deal with unemployment and inequality would be discussed.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive
• Read Saftu’s press statement about the summit at Saftu News

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